Intern Profile: Adam Smith

Hi, my name is Adam Smith. I grew up in a small town in Michigan, graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2011 with a BA in physics and math and recently moved to Boulder after a stint working on sail boats (I’m a licensed captain). Beyond sustainability and aquaponics, I play a lot of ultimate Frisbee, home brew, and enjoy getting outside, obviously.

When did you first become interested in sustainability?

I first got turned on to some of the bigger ideas of sustainability working on my senior project in high school which involved building a biodiesel reactor and designing passive solar buildings for our campus. I really caught the bug and have been trying to learn more ever since.

What are the most interesting/important things that you’ve learned since being an intern at Nourish the Planet?

It’s been great to see the procedures in place for monitoring the various systems. My past experiences with aquaculture and hydroponics have been very hodgepodge, seeing a steady-state system is great.

How do you incorporate sustainability into your life?

My biggest commitment to sustainability is that I try not to consume excessively. I like to live frugally and make or reuse things rather than buying them new.

What do you want to see change in the world in the next 10 years?

I think the biggest improvement would be if people start to rethink our transportation system. It’s bigger than driving better cars or even biking though, you have to also look at how cities are laid out and really redesign the whole built environment. It’s one of the big areas where change is about improving the entire experience with sustainable benefits on the side.

What are your goals for the future?

It’s all in flux but I hope that someday down the road I’ll be able to look back and say I created some change for the better

If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Not everything has gone smoothly, but they’ve always been learning experiences so I wouldn’t change a thing. Although it would’ve been nice to get fewer speeding tickets right off the bat.

What is the number one place that you would like to travel to?

I’d really like to visit Spain. For the food and architecture especially. And of course, once you’re there, you have to see Barcelona play.

What is your favorite book that you’ve read in the past year?

Walden has been a big influence on my thinking, it’s one of those books I always come back to. There are some big ideas in there. “Don’t stretch the seams in trying on the coat, for you may find it fits another man quite well,” (give or take) made quite an impression on me the first time through, for example.

As for the last year, the best book I read was by far The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham.

Name one thing that you could not live without?

I have a pretty bad internet addiction. A week or two at a time isn’t so bad, but living without it? That’d really get to me.